Truth and Love
by Hanna Mizuri Karima
Summary: Mileina Vashti has been alone for years, ever since Tieria and Setsuna left for the ELS world. Her friends are either dead or have families of their own. But just a few nights ago, a stranger came to her in her dreams and gave her back her youth. Now she faces a new obstacle, the knocking stranger behind her doors. Who is this person and what do they want? Possible Lemon, rated T
1. Chapter 1

** Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Gundam 00, though as everyone does, I wish I could! Or at least draw like Sunrise :D That would be awesome! ^_^**

**Anyways, I wanted to put up a story for Mileina and Tieria since the pickings are slim. Guess some people can't see how cute these two are together. :\**

**There might be a possible lemon in future chapters, but I want to try to take this slow, and to allow Tieria and Mileina to catch up a bit before anything to dramatic or romantic happens. ;) **

**This is my 3rd uploaded story, (the first story I took down because it was so crappy) My other story is 'The Girl of Fire' for those of you who have read it, I am stuck like a quater of a way through fixing the second chapter. Taking things slow really is hard and writers block doesn't help. But I will try my best on updating both stories soon!**

**Thank you to all those who have like and followed my other story, and I hope you like this one as well! (:**

**Music listened to: Broken Road by Rasal Flatts**

**But enough blabbering, time for the story!**

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**Love: A twisted Desire, lost in despair**

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I don't remember the exact date I last saw him, but the year was 2314, the year the Dialogues that Tieria had mention wreaked havoc on the world and nearly killed every living Innovator in it, including Setsuna. Soon after the battle, Setsuna, and the hologram projecting Tieria's body through Veda, entered Jupiter and were never seen again, until today that is, when all of the sudden, there was a knock on my door. I ignored it and continued my crude drawing of a heart and the initials of my name and T-chan's, a nickname I made for him so long ago.

I am old in mind, but a few days ago, a cloaked stranger appeared in my dreams, his hair was spikey and his eyes a brilliant electric gold, the same gold that appeared in the eyes of both Tieria and Setsuna. The mysterious man spoke to me, his mouth moving too fast for me to understand, and then a strange feeling filled my being. I awoke soon after, unsure of what to think of this strange dream, but when I peered into my hands, I found them smooth and porcelain like, as they had been when I was younger. My violet eyes widened with surprise and I had ripped the covers from my legs only to find them long, lean, and surprisingly fit. I stretched the odd appendages out and smiled as there were no aches or pains that racked my knees.

Springing from the bed, I looked into the full body mirror that stood at the far end of my room. In it, was the perfect image from my youth, a body not a minute over 18. My hips and legs were curved and my arms boasted toned. My face was young, without wrinkles and completely smooth. My hair was its bouncy brunette curls as it had once been and even my breasts had regained their original fullness.

Another more urgent knock brought me out of my reverie. With a sigh I removed the drawing from the table and shoved it into a well-made Victorian style desk. With a huff, I pushed my seat out and made for the door, two large oak French-style doors, with gold plated hinges and large gold leafed handles. This mansion was my great-great-great grandparents, and only in my later years had I discovered it's where-about. There was one more knock, this time less assured and more drawn back and faint. Opening my full lips, just a moment longer I relished the feel, and then called out, my voice strong and bell like.

"Who is it?"

There was no answer, just another knock.

With a pout I was famous for; I gripped the large handles in both of my delicate hands and twisted. The door gave a loud groan as it slipped inward, allowing the sun from beyond to temporarily blind me. As my eyes cleared, the shadowy figure moved forward and stood in front of me, so that the sun would shield its face from my eyes. With the motion of walking, the stranger's hair moved in a manner that was oddly familiar to me, but I couldn't place it. Still blinded by the sun, my violet eyes narrowing, I asked once more for the name of the cloaked stranger.

"You should know who I am," His voice rang forth and knocked the wind out of my lungs. It was both strong and full of authority, just how I remembered it. My lips opened into a small 'o' and my hands fell away from the door and hung loosely at my sides, all of the puckered lower lip and frowned brow vanishing from my face. "I see Setsuna returned your youth, as was my request. And may I say you do look as beautiful as you did all those years ago." The sun faded behind a blot of clouds, and the shadows retreated from his body, first from his hair, the same luscious purple I remembered. His crimson eyes revealed themselves next, all of their emotions hidden behind the blood colored irises, the very irises that mesmerized me. His nose, mouth and chin became visible, still as flawless as ever, and finally his body.

His body was as lean and fit as I could have ever imagined. He was clad in a brown cloak and dressed in black trousers and a white buttoned-down shirt, the top four buttons were left unclasped, revealing his pale skin of his toned chest. Ah, his skin, so delicate looking, so unscathed, and so beautiful. Everything I love about the man included his flawless skin. Of course, all of his old scars would be gone, since this was just another body he created from Veda's consciousness that he now shared.

My lips formed the words, but no sound came out. He smiled softly, leaving me in a daze but shocking me enough to allow a small whisper from between my parted lips: "T-Tieria Er-de." A single tear shed from my right eye. As fast as lightning, his hand whipped up and caught the tear before it could fall far from my rosy cheeks.

"Mileina Vashti, it is so good to finally see you again." With that, I rushed forward and buried my face into the folds of his clothes. My sobbing filled the air and a warm hand touched my back, rubbing soft circles to comfort me. "You don't need to cry…" He was cut off by one of my sobs. I pulled back, looking up into his eyes, lip trembling and shaking as if I was chilled.

"B-but I haven't s-seen you in so long! These aren't t-tears of sadness, they a-are of joy," I smiled up at him and leaned my head against his chest. It took about a full minute and a half to get a grip on my emotion and when finally I could talk without a stutter I invited the innovade in for a cup of tea.

We sat in the lounge area, sipping a variety of tea flavors, but neither of us made an attempt to speak, for me I was to 'lost in desires' from being around Tieria, especially after so long with no contact.

Tieria shifted lightly clearly comfortable with the current silence that reined the small room. His eyes wandered freely over my body, taking in the way that my sundress fit to my body just right, complementing even the smallest curve. Only twice did I catch Tieria staring at a particular spot, the first time his eyes were trained attentively on my face, watching my expression with clear curiosity, and the second time his eyes fixed themselves onto my breasts. I shifted uncomfortably than, a light blush coloring my cheeks. He quickly averted his eyes then and looked around the room, parting his lips as if to say something, but his hair caught my attention as it fell backwards against his back, and when he once again fixed his gaze on my face, the lush purple strands fell at a perfectly straight angle, just a few inches above his shoulder. The fringe of his hair swept across his forehead, giving his hair a more complex look.

"This is quite a nice house, Mileina. How did you come to acquire such a place?" His question caught me off guard and I fumbled over my thoughts, looking for a way to explain the place.

"I received it in a will after my parents died. It's been in my family for quite a long time, even older than my Great-great-great grandparents. It's a nice place, but it gives me the creeps to be in alone." I shivered to show how much I disliked being left to myself in this large 2 story house. "When did you and Setsuna return?"

Tieria looked out the large window, as if remembering something, his eyes glazed over and his face grew distant. I was almost afraid that the entire thing was a dream. But his reverie disappeared almost as soon as it came. "A few weeks ago, actually, but Setsuna and I have been attempting to return for few years now, and only recently have we been able to find a way to reverse the effects of GNT-0000 00 Qan[T]. Even still I don't fully understand how exactly we got back, nor do I really care. When we arrived back on Earth, I asked Setsuna to make you young again. He agreed and went on his way to find Marina, to tell her he fully understood her now. That left me with finding you, and now that I have, I'm truly happy."

I blushed again at his words and fiddled with the edge of my dress. "I make you that happy?" I whispered, barely audible enough for him to hear. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw Tieria move over to my side, close enough that our legs brushed each other. The move startled me, causing the blush to creep further into my cheeks.

Tieria nodded, his eyes containing an emotion I had never encountered before. I looked away quickly, hiding my face in a wave of curly locks. A pale hand appeared under the wave of curly hair and gripped the edge of my chin, pulling it up and turning it so I faced Tieria and his fiery eyes. "When was the last time you went and had some fun?"

I thought for a second, my eyes wandering over to the window and watching as the sun reached its peak. A stray hummingbird, with a beautiful green with a red underside, landed on one of the many roses that lined the side of my house. This rose was a hybrid, mixed with red and purple to create a marble like structure on the petals. It was quite beautiful and I had even named it after Tieria, the flower reminded me of his pride and flawless surface, but knowing that on the inside he wasn't created like me, but by altered genetics, as had the flower. I sighed contentedly and looked back at Tieria.

"It's been only 24 years since I had a really good time. But that year I happened to crash my car and broke my pelvis. After that I retired from my job of mechanics and returned here to live alone and build my flower garden." Tieria looked sympathetic at the young looking girl before him, finally understanding that Setsuna and he had been away for much of the girls life and missed a lot of things in the new world. "But now that my body has been returned to how it was when I was 18, I think I would love to go out and have some real fun for once. It will be really nice to spend it with you though…" I trailed off, embarrassed at the confession.

"Are you implying that we should go on a date?" Tieria ask, humor lighting his already warm voice. I nodded, gulping back a knot in my throat. "I want to be honest with you before we jump ahead into a relationship. You must understand that at our given circumstances, it would be wrong for me to become close with you. You must have married sometime in your life, and I don't want to take you away from your rightful man."

I put a finger to his lips, silencing him. A fresh film of tears filled my eyes. "That is where you are wrong, I never married, and I never fell in love again. I never even tried. My heart belongs to you, and whatever form you take, I will always love you, Tieria Erde. No man has ever captured my heart as you did when I was 13 and then again when I was 16. It would have been wrong than, but now I have lived for 66 years, have been granted my youth again. You have presented yourself to me, and I want to explore all the possibilities that I missed throughout my life, and I want to explore them with you."

For a moment, Tieria looked at a loss for words, his mouth slightly parted, and waiting for the moment to speak. But he didn't speak; instead he leaned in and kissed my lips. It was a sweet and passionate kiss, not to fast or slow but gentle and smooth. Almost instinctively I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer. The kiss made my heart flutter and excitement fill my belly. But as all things end, the kiss ended, leaving the cheeks of Tieria slightly flushed, a significant change considering his complexion. "Mileina Vashti, deep down inside my heart, lies a feeling I have never felt before, and no matter how old you may be, or how you may look, my heart will belong to you." He paused allowed a soft smile to form on his lips. "I will always love you.

"Now hurry along and get dressed, I want to spend a proper date with the woman I love. The first and not the last, I promise you. It's my turn to make you happy."

I nodded and left the small lounge and headed off to my room. I picked out a pair of shorts and a nice blouse along with some sandals and thigh high stockings. I did my hair up into a loose bun and applied some lip gloss. When I was younger I had a fetish with pigtails and headbands, but today I decided to go without the pigtails and do a simple bun with a rose hair lip to accent it. Once again I gazed at my youthful body in the mirror and marveled at my flawless skin. I didn't stray too long in the mirror, the thought of Tieria waiting down stairs had me filled to the brim with excitement and I couldn't wait any longer.

With light steps I made my way through the house and down the winding stair case back to the lounge to the man of my dreams to wisp me away from my life and into another. There he sat waiting for me, sitting where he had been and gazing at the altered rose through the window. He heard my approach and a smiled at my given appearance. "This is quite a different look for you, Mileina."

I frowned somewhat hurt at his response, "Do you not like it?" I asked timidly.

"Of course not, I think it makes you look mature and beautiful. I love it." He rose and crossed the room to my side taking my arm in his. "Well, shall we be off than?"

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**Not as long as I hoped, but long enough that I liked it. :D I hoped the readers like it as well. ^_^ I will update this as soon as I can, but it probably won't be until I after my birthday which is the 27th! So excited ^_^ Anyways, you know what to do! Please review :3 any advice for bettering either of my fan fictions I am grateful for!**

**Arigatou, and until next time, min'na.**


	2. Chapter 2

**So sorry that it took so long! My birthday was extended over the last week :D**

**Finally I figured out where this chapter would go, Tieria and Mileina are on their first date, but Mileina finds several things wrong with the new Tieria. Can she figure them out before she gets to far into the relationship? And will there ever be an answer to Tieria's missing memory? Read and find out!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Gundam 00! If I did, well you get the idea, Tieria would still be alive and with Mileina and Feldt would still have Neil. But as it is, Sunrise has decided to play with our emotions and kill our favorites and leave the little kids in charge! :O**

**Claimer: Hmm, I claim my words :D If that's possible, Oh and I claim my ideas to, they wouldn't of help with out a sound track either!**

**Soundtrack: Tears of an Angel (sorry I don't remember the singer.) Rue's Lullaby (Hunger Games Arrangement (you have to get the right version, the back ground is purple and there is a fan art picture of Katniss and Rue with fairy wings)) (Haha, sorry the sound track is kind of, depressing? Yeah, that's it, but occasionally the story goes from happy, to some sad part of their past. (Well that's what I hope the mood will be at least!))**

**Read and Review please!**

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Heart: Weak emotion, strong will

The drive to our first stop was about an hour away from my house, neither of us talked, which gave me the time I needed to take everything in and process it. To be honest, I was really ecstatic about him finally coming home, and even more so, that he came to me. For years I had debated that he had forgotten about me, that they had come home years ago and just let me be. Or even that they might have died while stuck in the ELS world. All of these possibilities and more plagued my mind since the years following the disappearance of Tieria and Setsuna.

A song familiar to the both of us played on the radio. The air inside the compact sports car filled with grief that only I showed. A while ago, he had told me the story of how he had come to know how to love. There was a girl, her hair as pure as white snow and eye as bright and red as fire. My father, Ian Vashti, knew this girl, and he and the rest of the Ptolomaios crew knew her as Hanna Karima, while she was only familiar to me as the 'Girl of Fire.' The girl had died during _Operation Fallen Angels. _Tear's leaked down my cheeks, for the lost girl. I hadn't known her personally, but during the four years CB went silent, my father told me a little about her, about how she was first kidnapped by CB and then eventually gaining their trust and even calling the crew her family. Than the mission that took the lives of Litchy Tsery, Christina Sierra, J.B. Moreno, Lockon Stratus and Hanna Karima, was ordered and that was the end of it.

I remember a certain conversation the Tieria had with Sumeragi that I happened to overheard when I was only 12 years of age:

_"Tieria, you can't keep blaming yourself for their deaths. And you especially can't starve yourself in remorse. C'mon and eat something already." Sumeragi pried but Tieria wouldn't budge from the Gazing Platform. His delicate and almost completely white skinned hand rested on the thick glass, and his red eyes were glazed over._

_ "It is my fault, all of it. Lockon wouldn't have died if I had just listened to you guys and taken the back-up power system. Virtue would have worked than, and Lockon and Hanna would still be he…" He trailed off, unable to continue. Tears rolled down his sickly white cheeks. _

_ "Dammit Tieria, eat something before I shove it down your throat. I don't need you dying on me to. I know it's hard knowing that she is gone, and Lockon to. We all lost someone dear to us. We lost Christy and Lichty and Dr. Moreno. You must understand that you are not alone in this, everyone cared about her. She was just as much family to us as everyone else, but she wouldn't want you to waste away to nothing, Hanna would want you to live on with the life you have been granted." Sumeragi stopped trying and left the tray of food on the only surface in the room, the floor._

The memory brought another round of tears to my face and I sniffed loudly,I looked over and saw that Tieria had an even face, not showing the merest hint of grief towards his lost friend, or for that matter, much emotion at all. The site left an odd feeling in my stomach, but I allowed the thought to slip from my mind as we pulled up to the parking lot of the park I suggested we should visit first. The amusement park had some of the newest and biggest roller coasters to ever be created in America. This country and even the small patches of land that were visible were some of the most beautiful sceneries I had laid my eyes on in some time. There were flowers and apple trees in hordes covering the ground. Chipmunks and squirrels ran around squeaking and chirping along with the birds.

"Tieria?"

"Yes Mileina?"

"Do you remember her?"

"Who am I supposed to remember?" He looked down with confused red eyes.

I looked back surprised. "Hanna Karima, you don't remember her?"

"Never even heard of her before, why do you ask?"

I stopped mid-step and dropped his hand. He looked back and asked if I was alright. I nodded but looked down at my feet, sorting through my thoughts. _He has to remember her… he couldn't have forgotten about her, could he? Unless… of course, his memory must have been damaged during the transferring of his consciousness, he could of easily forgotten something. That has to be what it is. Only a minor flaw, later tonight I will explain to him who she was again, maybe that will trigger his memory._

With a shy smile, I slowly took his hand and pulled him forward, as if nothing happened. We walked to the park, and entered through the tall arching gates. Tieria was kind enough to pay for our tickets. As we walked down the cobble stone path, past vendors and shops and kids rides, we chatted idly about what we saw, deciding on our first ride. And just like the child that had been dormant for so long, I pointed to the Dumbo ride and smiled up at Tieria. He nodded and we got in line. I laughed like a child with a new toy as the ride went up and down softly.

Eventually it ended, and we left the ride to go onto the next. The next ride we decided on was the Tilt-A-Whirl. There were no straps to hold you in, only a metal chain. I frowned and almost chickened out of riding it, but Tieria explained that the momentum caused by the continuous spinning as it climbs in speed, keeps you pressed to the back of the platforms. I smiled at his smartness and we both go onto the ride, placing our hands over each other on the bar provided for holding. The ride started, slowly and then it went faster and faster, I screamed with excitement and tried to turn my head toward Tieria and found that it was extremely hard. I tried lifting my feet and my arms, but I couldn't. My scream turned into a real frightened scream. But soon enough the ride ended and I clutched to Tieria's arm, feeling slightly green.

When the nausea passed, we got some water, and ate Kettle corn on one of the benches scattered across the park. The conversation from earlier, about some girls crazy hair style popped up again. Tieria said something about a girl that walked by, her mini shorts showing off her butt crack and her shirt rising up to show a tattoo above her waist line. I laughed so hard that I doubled over and cradled my head between my knees as the laughing caused tremors to run up and down my spine. When the burst ended, I contracted and severe case of the hic ups, which caused Tieria to laugh, a whole-hearted sound that I had never heard before.

I stared at the usually stoic man with wide violet eyes. He calmed down enough to ask what, but I hic-upped again, causing another spasm of laughs to erupt from his mouth. I pouted. "It's not that funny!" I complained, turning away from him.

"It is. And it's really cute to." He leaned in closer and sniffed my hair, causing a deep blush to creep into my cheeks.

I stood quickly, stuttering as I asked, "L-lets go get on o-one of the big R-roller Coasters." I walked forward, leaving Tieria to trail behind me. We made it to the Roller Coaster, a huge wooden ride that wrapped around almost half of the pack, going high into the air and deep underground. By far it was the scariest ride in the park, but my adrenaline was fueling my ambition and I marched into the line, which surprisingly wasn't very long. I got the farthest back seat, and waited for Tieria to catch up. When he did, it was our time to get on. I climbed into the seat and Tieria climbed silently after me.

As the park workers strapped us into the cart-like seats, my adrenaline ran cold and I looked at Tieria with a desperate look. But it was too late to get off; the carts moved forward, the wood creaking softly. I grasped the black bar in front of us and closed my eyes tightly. Tieria grabbed my hand and held it in his, squeezing my finger. I opened my eyes, and smiled back at him, but just as the smile reached my eyes, the car dropped the-who-knows-how-long drop and plunged us into darkness. I screamed my head off over and over, and with each plummeting drop of sky rocketing climb, the scream read blood chilling. By the end of the ride I was hoarse and couldn't even speak.

Tieria decided we needed a break, so we found a small café within the park and ate burgers and fries while we watched a bumper boat match across the narrow walk way. "Do you remember those first few years, after Lockon died? When I first came to Celestial Being with my mother, I was only 12 at the time." I asked, fingering a strip of steak fries.

He looked down at his empty basket and didn't respond for some time. His face was hidden behind his long purple hair. I fiddled with the edge of my shorts and waited for him to answer. Time dragged on, and I found myself looking at a young mother struggling with her toddler child who was bawling after falling and scraping his knees. She finally calmed him down enough to get him to ride the mini roller coaster. After he gets off, he started laughing and smiling, and the mother shared his happiness.

"Yes." Tieria murmured, "I remember those days. They are painful memories. Loosing Lockon was like losing a brother. I cared less about Allelujah and Setsuna, at least we knew and had some hope that they were alive somewhere. But I watched Lockon die; I heard his last words to Setsuna. I could have helped him, I could have saved Lockon, but Virtue wasn't responding and I ended up gravely injured. My wound wasn't life threatening, and it was treated quickly. Although everyone was sad, they mourned not only about Lockon's and the other crew member's sudden deaths, but about someone else. I can't remember who, my memory is blank in so many places. I've searched Veda high and low for any missing links, but the files I thought I would find, were no longer there."

I looked at him with a small smile; _at least he doesn't have to live with the pain of remembering her, maybe that will be better. _Gently and slowly, I placed my hand under his chin and lifted it up. "You don't have to remember, everyone forgets something in their lives, and I think the explanation for your absent memory is as simple as someone is trying to get you to forget, and I think it's for the best. Now c'mon lets go ride so more rides and swim a bit. It's really hot out here." I said and stretched my back and legs.

Tieria nodded, falling into a new mood, the silent happy type. I still found it strange, even though Tieria had always been a little looser than he was before I arrived at Celestial Being, he was still quiet and always wore a frown. Not once during the 4 years I had been with CB, had I seen Tieria smile, even when I confessed my love to him, he said nothing and left to speak with Setsuna. I'd always known him as the stoic type, not one to express his emotions except when around Setsuna. He always found interest in Setsuna, especially during the Dialogues.

We approached our next ride, but it was starting to get late, so we quickly rode it and then headed off to the Water Park. By the time we reached the other side of the park, it was almost 7 O'clock, and the water park was closing. I shrugged it off and led Tieria to the train ride, hoping the cool night air and rhythmic turning of the engine's wheels would lull away all of my thoughts.

The train ride was about two hours long, neither of us spoke, and neither of us made much physical contact. The conductor explained everything we saw with a tired voice, slurring some of his words with a yawn. I felt kinda bad for him, having to stand all day in the hot sun and announce everything over and over again must be such a boring job. The announcer was a teenaged boy, only about 16 or 17. Tall, slender, and muscled, he was quite handsome. At the beginning of the ride, the boy introduced himself as, 'Nicholas Newman, a local that lived in the town not too far from the park.

The scenery we saw was absolutely beautiful. Looking at all the plant growth and animal activity made my worries melt away. I was still smiling even when we go off the train and walked slowly towards the exit. The sun was starting to creep low into the sky. My belly grumbled, signaling it was time to eat. Tieria laughed again, and offered to take me to dinner next. I nodded, grateful for the offer but a little reluctant after he spent so much on me today.

"Where would you like to go an each, Mileina?"

"Um, I don't know. How about…hmm…Red Lobster? I haven't eaten there in forever."

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**Goodness, don't you just hate short chapters? Yeah, haha so do I. But it is how it is, I hope you enjoyed much more than I did writing it! Just Kidding :D I loved writing it, and hopefully, I will get something else up on _Girl of Fire, _my _Hanna Karima(OC)x Tieria Erde _story. Honestly, I have been stuck on chapter 2 since like the middle of July, and now school is starting the 28th and other stuff is going on between then and now. So we will see! Maybe I will finally get some good ideas for the current chapter instead of thinking ahead and getting ideas for possible future chapters. :3**

**PS: The reference to Hanna Karima in this story has nothing to do with the other story. And yes I know that Tieria is a bit OOC, but all will be explained in do time. For now, enjoy and site tight until I get the next one up! Until than, Sayōnara, Min'na!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Not quite as long of a wait for a new chapter on this story. I APOLOGIZE FOR MY LATENESS ON UPDATING. ^^ Well you can't blame me... you CAN blame my not-very-creative-mind though. Long story short, here is the new chapter! It's a flashback (sorry for the disappointment everyone.)**

**You all'll just have to wait till the next chapter to see what happens between Tieria and Mileina. :) Aren't I just the meanest? :D**

**You no the drill: READ AND REVIEW lovelies. **

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**Chapter 3: Flashback to Pain**

_"Allelujah, Lockon, and Setsuna are accounted for and virtually uninjured." Feldt reported, scanning the screen again and again, searching the text for the last name. _

_ "What the hell where is Tieria? He must be accounted for too right?!" Sumeragi shouted sending a shiver down my spine. I sat at my computer, composed in a perfect poker face, waiting to hear those dreaded words fall from Feldt's lips. But they didn't and that only made the tightness in my chest worse. A single tear fell from my violet eyes, rolling down my redden cheek like a slide._

_ "Feldt…" Setsuna's tired voice came on over the intercom._

_ "Setsuna!" Feldt responded exasperated. "Wher…"_

_ Before she could finish, Sumeragi interrupted her with a sharp grunt. "Setsuna, where is Tieria? Answer me truthfully; you were the closest to his last known location."_

_ Setsuna was quiet for a long time, building up suspense and tension among the remaining crew in the bridge. I waited, possibly the most apprehensive, possibly the most calm of everyone. Half of me hoped that he was alive and well out there somewhere in the vastness of space, the other dreaded the inevitable truth… Tieria was gone. Both thoughts scared me senseless. _

_ "I lost track of him while I was fighting Ribbons. He must have been captured by a Federation soldier." Setsuna replied in a thoughtful tone, almost too thoughtful. There was something Setsuna was hiding, something that jerked at my heart and made wet, hot tears run down my cheeks. Something more terrible happened to Tieria then getting captured. Something almost as terrible as death itself; I stood from my chair and left the bridge, fleeing the whole truth and truly wanting to believe Tieria could be graced with such a small fate as being captured. But this was Tieria they were talking about, Tieria Erde, and Innovade, an artificially created human with equally artificial thoughts and emotions. He would rather kill himself then get captured, he proved that once before._

_ I ran through the twisting halls of the _Ptolomaios _looking for nothing. I stopped suddenly, finding myself out of breath and in front of the one meister's door I sought to escape; the one man that held my heart like a puppet on a string. Tieria Erde._

_ The door opened even before my hand fell upon the key pad. With a start, I entered, wide-eyed and embarrassed to be trespassing on the stoic meister's quarters. My eyes darted around, puffy and red from all the tears shed. The room was bare, a simple twin bed set against the far wall, a side-table stacked with several books, mostly dictionaries by my guess. On the left was a desk with a wooden chair. Draws were pushed in and papers were neatly stacked in small piles on the sides. In the middle was Tieria's Celestial Being uniform and on top was a white letter. _

_ Even before I got here, it was tradition that before every battle the meisters would write a letter and leave it with a special belonging in their room. If they died during battle, the crew would gather in the bridge and one member would read the letter. Only once before has there ever been a letter opened._

_ Hesitant but curious to see what was inside; I approached and poked the white envelope. Paper crinkled inside and there was also a small clinking noise. I lifted it with trembling pale fingers and sat on the edge of his bed. With jerky movements, I opened the envelope with as much care as I could muster, careful to not wrinkle the paper inside. Slowly I brought the paper out and unfolded it. Neat cursive hand writing was written at a slight slant across the paper, as if Tieria was in a hurry when he wrote it._

_ I skimmed over it until I reached the signature. Tears spilled over my eye lids as I went back and read the letter sentence by sentence:_

_I fear today may be the last time I see all the friendly faces I have become so accustomed to. If fate shall be so correct as to take my life, I hope no one will forget my name, but that not one of you will blame yourselves for my death. Ribbons must be brought down and I know I am the one who must do it. He will die, or I will die trying. Either way, my fate is sealed. Today one of us will perish._

_ In this letter I wish to address everyone individually. The order matters not, only that I must be quick._

_ To Lasse Aeon: You and I have never really talked. I fear that I've left you with a foul impression of my former self. Fret not, I do not blame you for you ill-kindness towards me, I was not a friendly person four years ago. If I had a chance to speak with you again, I hope we could have become friends._

_ To Ian and Linda Vashti: Without you medical expertise Linda, none of us would have made it as far as we did. You saved my life many times over and I greatly appreciate your kindness. Ian, you are a wondrous mechanic, for all of my Gundam's over that last 6 or more years. Without you expertise with mechanics, none of our missions would have been possible. Thank you._

_ To Sumeragi Lee Noriega: You have been the most kind to me. Even when I was harsh and misleading towards you and everyone else you smiled and helped me to understand. It surprises me even now how friendly you have been. Sumeragi, you were my first friend and I will miss you. Please for you sake and everyone's around you do not resort to drinking again. It would hurt me so to see you depressed and intoxicated every minute of every day. _

_ To Feldt Grace: You are so young and innocent that it sickens me that this world you were born into is filled to the brim with war and hatred. I really do pray that your future will be peace-filled and beautiful. This may seem odd, coming from me but I liked your spirit Feldt, you kind, gentle, strong spirit. That is the kind of spirit we need to win this war. Keep fighting, not for my sake, but for the sake of those around you. _

_ To Lockon Status: At first I hated you. I hated the thought of replacing Lockon, even if you were his twin. But you are not him and you can never be him. This is a strange world we live in, so strange that it took your entire family away from you. You are left with nothing, and I pity you. I have never felt the true pain of losing a loved one, until I truly did. I will not waste my precious remaining time telling you about her, but you may ask anyone around you. They will tell you._

_ To Allelujah Haptism: You have softened since you lost your alter-ego four years ago. Stay strong young man. That girl you have saved, keep her close I feel we may need as many fighters as we can possibly get in the years to come. _

_ To Setsuna F. Seiei: The only thing I can come up with to say to you is this Setsuna: "Change for the world, as I could not change." Lockon (Neil) said the same thing to me, told me to change for him because he could not change himself. I have a lot of faith in you Setsuna, you will become stronger, and I can see it in your eyes. You have lost a lot in your 19 years, but you will stand to gain much more if you fight for the right things. I believe you're the only one who can save us from the Dialogues._

_Never forget that I will be watching,_

_Tieria Erde_

_I was shocked and angered that my name was not among the list. _Does he not want to say anything about me? H-He must have run out of time… _I quickly reassured myself, but the feeling of emptiness soon filled my body, leaving a sickly pain in my chest. The tears fell more rapidly now, dropping down onto the paper. Wet spots were beginning to form so I set the letter beside me and opened the envelope again, reaching inside and grabbing a fist full of silver chain._

_ I opened my palm, my eyes bleary and unfocused. Inside my hand, nestled in my sweaty palm, was a silver pendent with a matching silver chain. The pendent was simple, a silver circle with wires extending inwards. The wires grasped a red gem, about as long as the first digit in my pinky. And between the gem and the wires was another piece of paper, stuck hastily between the circle and the ruby gem. I plucked it out and unfolded it in haste._

_ This letter said this: _

_Mileina, I hope you are not angered by the absence of your name in my first letter. I wanted to address you more privately then the others. By far you have been the youngest of all the members of Celestial Being. You were only 12 when you and your mother arrived here, such a young age to be seeing war and death. You innocence is unfathomable; you are always happy and cheery even when times are tough. You showed me how to forget my past and focus on the future. I know you were there that day when I talked to Sumeragi… when my defenses were the weakest. I wished no one would ever have to see me like that, but in the end I was too weak to handle the loose of loved ones._

_ Now that I am gone, I realized how much you cared for me. I now see how much your heart yearned to be a part of my life. I was blinded by my own problems that I forgot about how a human's heart worked. Mileina, I hope you forgive me for not returning those feelings to you. As you may know Hanna was the first woman I ever loved, and she is gone now. I truly know how you must feel at this point, all the tears you will shed for me in the years to come. That is not something I wish upon anyone but this world has terrible ways to play the game of Life. _

_ Do not cry, Mileina, my life is not so precious as to waste tears on. Keep them for someone who deserves them._

_ This pendent in your hand was made by Hanna Karima. She gave it to me as a keep sake for when she was gone, something to remember her by. Now I give it to you. You hold the heart of the world in your hand. Keep it safe and close to you heart and you will always have me by your side. With it you will never forget me. Good bye, Mileina Vashti._

_At those last words, I lost it. I feel over on my side and cried for the rest of the night on his bed, clutching the pendent close to my chest, pressing it deep into the flesh of my palm. Eventually I feel asleep, my dreams blank and full of nothing. I was glad they held nothing, not even pain. At least fate could grant me one night without suffrage._

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**Mad at me yet? Good. Haha. ^^ This chapter was just a fill in because I gotta connect the dots from the chapters I have written after chapter 7 or so... and the chapters I have now. Doesn't that irritate you? It does me, I've got loads of ideas for both of my stories, just no idea how to get there! It sucks... majorly. -_- Well don't forget to review! I really like constructive criticism just put some thought into it will ya? Did I mention REVIEW! (I can't make changes if I'm not told the flaws sweets. ^^)**


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